What is My Inbox Helper? And how does it function?
My Inbox Helper is a program that functions as a browser extension that claims to provide users with “one-click” access to various email providers. It also provides users with quick links to several popular websites like Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, News and many more. Once installed, My Inbox Helper will modify the settings of the browser where it is added on. As a result, it the default new tab page, home page, and the search engine will be changed. However, the changes made by this dubious browser extension are done so without any permission from users which is why My Inbox Helper is classified as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program (PUP).
After its installation, every time you browse the web, you will notice a sudden increase of ads, some of which are intrusive ones and can redirect you to suspicious sites. Aside from that, all the browsing information you use online will also be tracked and collected by this browser hijacker. Usually, it gathers information like search queries, browsing history, IP address, websites you visit often, ads clicked, and many more. The data gathered is used to bring in more advertisements and therefore increases the browser hijacker’s profit. Obviously, there is no point in using this unwanted program as it could only bring harm to your computer and even poses a threat to your privacy.
How is My Inbox Helper distributed over the web?
My Inbox Helper is distributed using several ways but it is mostly distributed via software bundles that are commonly found on free sharing websites. This pesky program is added as one of the optional components in software bundles. Along with other unknown and suspicious programs, My Inbox Helper is hidden during the installation unless you opt for the Advanced or Custom setup. Thus, when you install software bundles, make sure that you always opt for the recommended setup rather than the quick one.
Refer to the removal guide prepared below to successfully uninstall is My Inbox Helper from your computer.
Step 1: The first thing you need to do to uninstall My Inbox Helper is to open the Control Panel. To do so, tap the Windows key + R, then type in appwiz.cpl in the field and then click OK or hit Enter.
Step 2: Look for any suspicious program that is affiliated with My Inbox Helper and then Uninstalls it.
Step 3: Close all the browsers infected with My Inbox Helper. If you’re having a hard time closing them, you can close them using the Task Manager just tap on Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
Step 4: After you open the Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and look for the infected browser’s process and end it.
Step 5: Edit your Hosts File
- Tap the Win + R keys to open then type in %WinDir% and then click OK.
- Go to System32/drivers/etc.
- Open the host’s file using Notepad.
- Delete all the entries containing My Inbox Helper.
- After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.
Step 6: Reset all your browsers to default to their default state.
Google Chrome
- Launch Google Chrome, press Alt + F, move to More tools, and click Extensions.
- Look for My Inbox Helper or any other unwanted add-ons, click the Recycle Bin button, and choose Remove.
- Restart Google Chrome, then tap Alt + F, and select Settings.
- Navigate to the On Startup section at the bottom.
- Select “Open a specific page or set of pages”.
- Click the More actions button next to the hijacker and click Remove.
Mozilla Firefox
- Open the browser and tap Ctrl + Shift + A to access the Add-ons Manager.
- In the Extensions menu Remove the unwanted extension.
- Restart the browser and tap keys Alt + T.
- Select Options and then move to the General menu.
- Overwrite the URL in the Home Page section and then restart the browser.
Internet Explorer
- Launch Internet Explorer.
- Tap Alt + T and select Internet options.
- Click the General tab and then overwrite the URL under the homepage section.
- Click OK to save the changes.
Step 7: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step 8: Navigate to the following directories and look for suspicious files associated to browser hijacker such as the software bundle it came with and delete it/them.
- %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
- %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
- %TEMP%
Step 9: Close the File Explorer.
Step 10: Empty the Recycle Bin.
Follow the advanced instructions below to ensure the removal of My Inbox Helper as well as all the file residues it left behind using a trusted program named [product-name].
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow these steps:
- Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
- After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.
- To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
- Windows will now load the Safe Mode with Networking.
- Press and hold both R key and Windows key.
- If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
- Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
- After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
- Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.
- After the scan is completed click the “Fix, Clean & Optimize Now” button.